Why Cleanup files?
We have a limited amount of space on the file server and need to make room for new files. (OUT with the old, IN with the new!)
Who should do this?
I highly encourage all staff to take some time over the next couple of weeks and go through current files, both on the shared drive and on your computer.
Think of this as a cleansing new year’s resolution. Purge and organize!
How?
1 – Take a look what’s on the server and on your computer
You can mentally categorize your folders and files into three groups.
- KEEP – Data that you need to have on the server, such as current projects you are working on, last year’s projects that you reference for information on a regular basis, recent meeting minutes, recent photos
- DELETE – Data that no longer needs to be on the server or saved at all, such as out-of-focus pictures, old rough drafts, copies of articles that were placed in newsletters
- ARCHIVE – Data that is older (typically anything more than 2 or 3 years old), such as newsletters, photos, meeting minutes, spreadsheets that you no longer need to access on a regular basis but would like to keep in long-term backup storage
2 – Delete
Now that you’ve looked through what’s on the server and on your local computer, you should have a good idea of what you can just delete. So go ahead! Clean up. You can do this in stages, a bit at a time while you are working on different projects, or set aside a day for yourself to do this cleanup all at once.
If you run into an issue where you’ve accidentally deleted something you shouldn’t have – reach out to cce-western-helpdesk@cornell.edu right away and I’ll help you restore it.
3 – Archive
What is Data Archiving?
Data archiving is the process of moving data that is no longer actively used to a separate storage device for long-term retention.
Archive data consists of older data that is still important to the organization and may be needed for future reference, as well as data that must be retained for regulatory compliance.
BUT this data is rarely referenced and doesn’t need to be actively available on the server anymore.
You may have noticed folders called “_READY TO BE ARCHIVED” within your shared drive.
These folders are where you can move your files that are ready to be archived. Whenever you run across old folders and files, you can simply move them into this “_READY TO BE ARCHIVED” folder.
Helpful Tip:
- BE DESCRIPTIVE WITH YOUR FOLDER AND FILE NAMES! If you need to pull something from the archive, it’s much easier to find if the photos and/or files have descriptive names.
EX. RENAME ‘IMG_2086’ to ‘2021 Game of Logging’ or even better ‘2021 Game of Logging – Instructor Joe Bob Smith’
When?
There’s no better time to start than right now – at the start of a new year.
At the end of each January, I archive any folders and files found in the “_READY TO BE ARCHIVED” folders.
- Once archived, the folders and files will no longer be on the server (giving us more space for future files!) but will still be retrievable once archived. If you need access at a later date, send an e-mail request to cce-western-helpdesk@cornell.edu.
- FYI – You don’t need to wait until January to archive files and folders. You can do your part anytime throughout the year. Simply move any files ready to be archived into the “_READY TO BE ARCHIVED” folder.
If you have any questions, please e-mail cce-western-helpdesk@cornell.edu or fill out the helpdesk form at http://westernhelpdesk.cce.cornell.edu.